Almost Time
by SerenBex
Summary: Fourth story of a series. Things start getting really weird for Evie when she meets Amy Pond.
1. Well, What Do You Think?

_**Disclaimer**__** – I thought I should probably put this in here, as the first few chapters of this one are going to be REMARKABLY similar to the first episode of series 5. But with a twist! Obviously I have NO claim over Doctor Who, sadly, which belongs to the lovely BBC. Speech taken directly from the episode is in italics :)**_

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><p>Evie looked at the Doctor as she often did since he'd regenerated, wondering just how different the man behind this face was from the man behind the last one. He certainly managed to answer the tricky questions she threw at him every now and again – just to test him out. He was the same, but different as well. Sometimes when he looked at her… it was almost as though he was looking through her. Like her friends had and the people in the pub when she'd been with Donna's granddad and all the other people as well.<p>

But then he seemed to jerk back and grin at her, that stupid little boy grin, and they'd be off again. There was definitely one bonus to his new personality – he treated her less like a little girl and more like a sister or friend. He didn't try to stop her doing things without checking it was safe first. When she'd fallen out of the TARDIS, which was hovering about three feet above the surface of one of the planets they'd visited, he'd just laughed at her until she'd dusted herself down and chased after him.

She'd been furious at the Doctor just before his regeneration. It was Christmas Day – they may as well have accepted the Noble's offer of staying for Christmas, because they had done anyway. He'd left her with Donna, almost as though the red-head was babysitting her, and disappeared off with Wilf. They didn't have a clue what was happening, unable to contact them. Then it got even weirder when everyone turned into the same man, who the Doctor later explained was The Master.

When, eventually, he returned for her the Doctor was in a bad way. He explained that he was on the verge of regenerating, but there were things he wanted to do first. Then he'd taken Evie on a tour of all his past companions. Finally the teenager was able to put faces to the names she'd heard so often; Rose and Jackie Tyler, Martha Jones, Mickey Smith, Captain Jack Harkness, Sarah Jane and Luke Smith. There were others, too, so many others. Seeing them all made Evie feel small – she was just the latest in a long line.

Then he'd regenerated, starting with his right hand. He'd been so sad to change, but it had been such a violent regeneration that the teenager had been forced to leave the console room and take shelter in her bedroom. When she'd eventually decided that it was safe and returned to the console room, the new-look Doctor was rushing around like a headless chicken trying to regain control of the TARDIS, which was sparking and on fire.

Without stopping to think, Evie had leapt to his side, pressing buttons and twisting dials. She hadn't even given him a second glance before she jumped into action. When the TARDIS had been stabilised, she finally got the chance to look at him, properly.

"Well, what do you think?" He asked, twirling around so that she could scrutinise him from every angle. She tilted her head to one side, trying to hide the smirk that was creeping over her face.

"Wellll…" She said, drawing out the word to heighten the suspense of her final response to his question. "You're not as pretty as you were… and your hair is all floppy."

"How rude!" He cried, pretending to be offended by her words. Then he grinned and hugged her tightly. "But I'm still not ginger." He said, disappointed.

"That's the least of your worries." The teenager told him seriously looking around the console room. "I think we're gonna need a new one of these before we get much further. Besides," she strode across the room and threw open the TARDIS doors, showing him that they were still hurtling towards Earth, "we need to deal with this."

"Oh… yes!" He grinned, flying around the controls trying to get the ship under control. Evie sighed, rolled her eyes, shook her head and followed him. She'd gone from feeling like the Doctor's daughter, with him being constantly overprotective, to feeling like his mother. It was crazy. Then, realising what she was thinking the teenager grinned. He was crazy!

"_Geronimo!_" He shouted, wrenching the lever his hand had been hovering over down in one swift movement. Evie laughed, throwing her head back as adrenaline surged through her veins.

For a while they worked steadily, concentrating hard on what they were doing. Every now and then the Doctor physically lifted Evie off her feet, moving her out of his way. She pushed him, sending him stumbling to the side as she grinned.

"Let's check where we are." He suggested, moving towards the doors.

"I _really_ don't think you should." Evie argued, raising an eyebrow as she moved hurriedly to smack a button that was flashing red. It went out as she hit it, making a slight grating noise before the sound settled into a purring hum.

"Oh! Live a little, Evie!" He chuckled, throwing open the doors. One minute he was there and the next he was gone. The teenager groaned, running to the doors. She, unlike the Doctor, was sensible enough to cling on for dear life.

"Doctor?" She shrieked looking down at the top of his head. He was holding tightly to the TARDIS, the sonic screwdriver in his mouth, preventing him from replying. Instead he was sending her exasperated looks. Even in that state he was being sarky. "You IDIOT."

Evie reached down, trying to pull him back in. Although he was skinny, he was heavy and she was only small. Finally, as they appeared to be flying straight at Big Ben, Evie left him and ran to the console. She panicked, pushing random buttons and hoping something would work.

The Doctor rolled his eyes; typical human, panicking at the first sign of trouble and forgetting what she knew. The girl was perfectly capable of getting them out of this mess, but he didn't have time to wait. He flicked the sonic screwdriver from his mouth to his hand, aiming it at the correct lever on the console and pressing the button. The lever dropped, raising the TARDIS slightly. That done, he turned and saw the spike on the top of the clock coming breathtakingly close. He took a deep breath as he got closer and closer, releasing it once the danger had passed.

Finally the Doctor managed to haul himself inside, groaning at the sight that met his eyes. His beloved console room was burning, sparking and smoking. He closed the doors, leaning against them and looking around in despair at the damage. The teenage girl, just as in love with the TARDIS as he was, ran around dodging falling debris and flames as she tried to get the time machine under control.

"Come on!" Evie shouted, unable to believe that he was just sitting and watching. No sooner had the words left her mouth than there was an almighty jolt and she was thrown across the room. Her feet left the ground as she was hurled through the air, hitting the far wall with a crunch and crumpling onto a heap on the floor.

The Doctor struggled to his feet, battling the turbulence and moved to her side, scooping her into his arms and attempting to carry her along the corridor to the safety of her bedroom.


	2. Come on, Jones

_**Thank you so, SO much for the favouriting/subscribing, lovelies! Some comments would be truly fabulous if you have the time? :)**_

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><p>There was another massive crash and the TARDIS tilted. The Doctor, with Evie in his arms, had no chance to grab hold of anything to stop them sliding along the ground and falling towards the library; the library with the swimming pool.<p>

"What?" Evie murmured as they fell. She opened her eyes, saw the closeness of the Doctor and the blurred walls rushing past her and closed them again. "Brilliant."

There was a splash and they bombed into the water, shooting downwards. The Doctor was glad that it was so deep as, although they'd gone in with so much force, they didn't even touch the bottom. Keeping a firm hold on the teenager, the Doctor swum strongly to the surface, gasping for air when he got there.

Evidently the shock of the water had brought Evie firmly back into consciousness and she stared around miserably. Somehow the inside of the TARDIS had shifted. Looking straight up Evie could see the console room, titled to the wrong angle, with the open doors directly above her. She could see the stars in the sky through the gap.

"Here…" The Doctor muttered, grabbing hold of a rope with some kind of anchor on the end. He swung it round and round his head, causing Evie to have to move quickly to avoid being hit in the head, before releasing it towards the open door. The metal end sailed outside, securing itself to something out of sight.

"You…" The teenager muttered shaking her head, half exasperated and half impressed. He winked.

"Come on, Jones. Let's see where we are."

"Jones? You never call me Jones." Evie knocked on his head gently. "Did you bang your head?"

"Oh… shut up!" He laughed, starting to climb up the rope towards the exit. The teenager shook her head, laughing as well, before following him. He stopped at the top, meaning that Evie either had to wait for him to move or she could step across and scramble up the floor beside him. As long as she held on, she'd be fine. Otherwise she'd end up back in the swimming pool.

The rope was starting to burn her hands, so she swung across carefully, grasping the lip of the TARDIS just beneath the door. Popping her head over the edge, her mouth fell open, mirroring the expression of the small, ginger girl staring at them. She pointed her torch into the teenager's face and Evie screwed up her eyes against the light. The girl must have realised the reason for the female's discomfort because she moved the beam slightly. Evie smiled gratefully, shifting her grip on the wooden box.

"_Can I have an apple?_" The Doctor asked the girl. Both she and Evie looked at him, puzzled. "_All I can think about… apples. I love apples. Maybe I'm having a craving? That's new, never had cravings before._" Evie rolled her eyes and shook her head again; he had regenerated into an idiot.

"Don't mind him." She told the girl who was watching him as though she'd never seen anything like it. Which, the teenager told herself, she almost definitely hadn't. The child made no sign she'd heard Evie speak, still staring at the Time Lord.

The Doctor hoisted himself up and sat astride the lip at the bottom of the TARDIS, staring down inside the ship. Evie, still clinging on with one foot pressed against a ridge as her only form of support, growled softly.

"_WOAH!_" He exclaimed, ignoring her discomfort and looking past her into the TARDIS. "_Look at that!_"

"_Are you OK?_" The little girl asked cautiously.

"_Just had a fall all the way down there, right to the library. Hell of a climb back up._" He told her swinging his leg over and rolling up his sleeves.

"Excuse me?" Evie muttered. "Little help here?"

"_You're soaking wet._" The little girl said, ignoring the teenager as well.

"Oh brilliant, another one who ignores me." The teenager said, shaking her head. Then she realised; the little girl probably couldn't even see her. She still hadn't got used to that idea and she shivered, hanging on tightly, as the Doctor and the girl continued their conversation.

"_I was in the swimming pool._"

"_You said you were in the library._"

"_So is the swimming pool._"

"_Are you a policeman?_" The child asked.

"_Why? Did you call a policeman?_" The Doctor replied, his face showing signs that he was slightly apprehensive. Evie felt her hands slipping.

"Doctor… seriously, I could do with a hand." She told him, more loudly this time. He leant down to take hold of her as the girl spoke again.

"_Did you come about the crack in my wall?_" She asked, making the Doctor forget all about helping Evie. He turned back to the little girl and leant forwards eagerly.

"_What cra–_" The Doctor fell off the ledge of the TARDIS onto the ground in front of it with a small cry.

"_You alright, mister?_" The child asked.

"_Yeah, I'm fine. It's OK. This is all perfectly norm–_" He said, jolting forwards. His voice cracked, as though he had lost his breath.

"Doctor?" Evie shouted. She couldn't see him over the edge of the TARDIS and used her remaining energy to pull herself up and over, falling heavily on the ground. Panting as the air rushed back into her lungs after being knocked out of them by the impact, she sat up. "What is it?"

Rather than answering, he opened his mouth and a stream of the golden particles she'd seen during his regeneration spilt from his mouth. The teenager smiled; the left over bio-energy. Then she furrowed her eyebrows; how had she known that? Obviously that must have been something she'd learnt from Donna.

"_Who are you?_" The girl asked.

"_I don't know yet, I'm still cooking._" The Doctor said, his hands glowing golden as the energy settled. "_Does it scare you?_"

"_No_." The girl said shaking her head. Even before she'd uttered the words Evie had slapped him on the arm; she was just a kid, there was no need to scar her for life. "_It just looks a bit weird._"

"_No, no, no. The crack in your wall, does it scare you?_"

"_Yes._" She replied. The Doctor beamed. Evie put her hands on her hips; apparently she was invisible to him as well now.

"_Well then, no time to lose._" He said, leaping to his feet. "_I'm the Doctor. Do __everything__ I tell you, __don't__ ask stupid questions and __don't__ wander off._" He turned and walked straight into a tree. The teenager sighed, hiding her head in her hands in exasperation.

Clearly the little girl was just as mystified by the man's actions as she was, because she just looked at him lying on his back on the ground. "_You alright?_"

"_Early days… steering's a bit off._" He said, not moving. Then he leapt to his feet. "Where's the food?"

"This way." The girl turned and started walking towards the house. Then she stopped and looked behind her. "Is she your girlfriend?" She asked, looking directly at Evie.

The teenager and the Doctor looked at each other in absolute disgust at the very idea and answered in unison. "No!"

"Ewww! No way." Evie said, making the Doctor pull a face as she battered his ego. "Sorry."

"No, this is definitely not my girlfriend. This is someone who doesn't do everything I tell her, does ask stupid questions and is always wandering off. So, considering that, don't listen to anything she says."

"Great, thanks." Evie moaned, rolling her eyes.


	3. What's Wrong With You?

They followed the child into her house. Evie had honestly thought that she couldn't see her but evidently the Doctor had just been far more interesting. That made her feel great about herself. Apparently the child was more interesting than she was as well, judging by how the Time Lord was completely ignoring her.

"_If you're a Doctor why does your box say police?_" The girl asked. Evie sent the Doctor a sarcastic smirk, pleased that the girl was questioning him. He took the apple from her hand without answering and sniffed it.

"Ha! Got an answer for that one, Sweetie?" The teenager asked, looking around the kitchen. It looked pretty ordinary – similar to the kitchen she'd grown up with. But that couldn't be right because the girl could see and hear her.

The Doctor took a bite from the apple, ignoring both questions, before promptly spitting it back out again. Evie pulled a revolted face. "_That's disgusting. What is that?_" He asked.

"_An apple._"

"_Apples are rubbish… I hate apples._"

"_You said you loved them._"

"Ignore him." The teenager advised her. "He's an idiot."

"_No, no, no. I love yoghurt. Yoghurt's my favourite. Give me yoghurt._" He said before poking out his tongue and pointing at Evie. "And remember, don't listen to her."

"I told you, he's a complete idiot." As the girl ran around the table to fetch one from the fridge, Evie faced the man shaking her head. "What the hell are you playing at?" She demanded.

"What?" He asked, innocently. "I'm not playing at anything."

Taking the yoghurt, he ripped the lid off and tipped the contents of the pot into his mouth. A split second later it followed the apple onto the floor. Evie put her head in her hands, mortified; she couldn't take him anywhere. The poor child was just looking bemused.

"_I hate yoghurt. It's just stuff with bits in._"

"_You said it was your favourite._"

"_New mouth, new rules; It's like eating after cleaning your teeth – everything tastes wrong._" Except the Doctor didn't say 'wrong' it came out as more of a roar as his body went into some kind of spasm. Evie jumped, not to mention the little girl who was standing directly in front of him.

"_What is it, what's wrong with you?_"

"_Wrong with me?_" The Doctor asked, slightly confused. "_It's not my fault, why can't you give me any decent food? You're Scottish, fry something._"

"Doctor!" Evie scolded.

But, the girl did as she was told, turning on the hob and frying some bacon. No sooner had he taken a mouthful, than he spat it out. Shrugging, Evie took the plate of bacon off his hands, eating it quickly before he could change his mind and demand it back; that would be just like him.

"_That's bacon… are you trying to poison me?_" He asked.

By now, Evie was incredibly fed up of his new personality and was looking round the room again. There was nothing interesting there so, sure that the Doctor and the little girl would be occupied for some time, she headed off along the hallway. The first room she came to was a small bathroom. Boring.

After that was some kind of living room containing a three piece suite and various other bits of furniture that seemed to come from late twentieth century Earth. But surely that wasn't possible. The teenager lifted up photographs, looking at them intently; not one of them contained the little girl in the kitchen.

Leaving the photos behind she carried on with her tour, finding herself in some kind of study. There was an old desktop computer on the table; the massive, white kind. A book shelf and some chairs were the only other things in the room. Except for a small desk calendar beside the computer. Evie lifted the page of the calendar, smiling weakly at the picture of a bird that illustrated the next month. Then her eye caught the date and she gasped. It was March 1996. So how could the little girl see her? Surely that was impossible?

"Doctor…" She murmured, not taking her eyes off the calendar. Realising that obviously he wouldn't have heard her, she picked the cube up and went back to kitchen. The Time Lord seemed to be dipping fish fingers into custard, eating them with obvious delight.

"… _must be a hell of a scary crack in your wall._" The Doctor was saying to the girl as Evie leant against the doorframe. He didn't even glance up at her arrival. "Alright, Jones?" He asked, licking his lips. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Not funny." She snapped, dropping the calendar on the table in front of him. "Look at that."

He looked, puzzled for a few moments. Then his eyes read the date quickly and he glanced at her in concern. She nodded slightly, narrowing her eyes. Understanding passed between them; don't scare the girl.

"This is Amelia, by the way." He told her with a grin. "Amelia Pond. It's a great name, isn't it?"

"Sure is." Evie smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Evie doesn't have a mum and dad either." The Doctor said to the girl. She looked at the teenager with interest at the words. Evie pursed her lips slightly, not liking the Doctor at that moment and shook her head.

"Really?" Amelia asked, looking at Evie with wide eyes. "Did you lose yours too?"

"I guess..." The phrase struck Evie as odd; lost. Most children would refer to their parents dying as 'losing' them.

"Now, Evie, are you up for a little bit of detective work?" The Doctor asked, leaning back on the chair and putting his hands behind his head. She gave him a hard, searching look, wondering what was coming next. "Amelia here has a scary crack on her wall that needs investigating."

"What are we waiting here for, then?" The teenager asked, holding out her hand to the little girl. Amelia took it and they followed the Doctor to her bedroom. The closer they got, the tighter the child's grip on Evie's hand became.

"_You've had some cowboys in here._" The Doctor said, examining the wall closely. Evie hung back by the door with Amelia. "_Not __actual__ cowboys… though that can happen._"

"_I used to hate apples. My mum put faces on them._" Amelia said, detaching herself from Evie and walking towards the Doctor. The teenager hadn't noticed that she was clutching the fruit, but the girl was examining it closely, before she handed it to the Doctor.

"_She sounds good your mum._" He said, throwing the apple up and catching it. "_I'll keep it for later._" He beckoned Evie over. Putting her hands on the girl's shoulders to push her aside slightly, the teenager moved to his side. He started talking to her in a low voice, his eyes roving over the surface in front of them. "_This wall is solid and the crack doesn't go all the way through it. So here's the thing; where's the draft coming from?_"

"Maybe it's coming from somewhere else entirely?" Evie suggested leaning her ear against the wall as the Doctor scanned it with the sonic screwdriver. "You know, it's just suggestion that makes you think something's being caused by something else. Like when rain seems to be attracted to a moving vehicle?"

"Maybe…" The Doctor breathed, staring at the readings on the sonic. "_Wibbly wobbly timey wimey. You know what the crack is?_" He looked at Evie for a second before his gaze settled on Amelia.

"_What?_" She asked, shaking her head slightly.

"Doctor?"

"_It's a crack._" He said simply. "_But I'll tell you something funny, if you knock this wall down the crack would stay put because the crack isn't in the wall._" Amelia looked at Evie, as though hoping the teenager would be able to offer some kind of sensible explanation. But she had nothing to offer.

"Sorry kid." She said with a shrug. "I'm with you on this one – no idea what he's on about."

"_Where is it then?_" Amelia asked the Doctor.

"_Everywhere._" He said quickly. "_In everything. It's a split in the skin of the World. Two parts of space and time that should never have touched… pressed together… right here in the wall of your bedroom._" The Doctor was still running his fingers along the crack, pressing his ear to it.

Amelia was looking nervous and Evie moved to her side, putting a protective arm around her shoulders. Almost instinctively the girl leant against her, huddling into the safety of the teenager's body.

"Doctor." She said imploringly. He was terrifying the poor child, surely more than he needed to. But he ignored her and carried on with his questioning.

"_Sometimes… can you hear –_"

"_A voice?_" Amelia finished his sentence, making Evie jump. She nodded. "_Yes._"

Moving away, he emptied the water from the glass beside Amelia's bed onto the floor behind him and pressed it against the crack listening intently. The girl looked annoyed, but Evie just squeezed her shoulders shaking her head.

"There's no point arguing; he won't listen." She told her, speaking from experience. "Not when he gets like this."

"It's alright." Amelia said looking up at her. "It'll dry."

"_Prisoner Zero…_"

"_Prisoner Zero has escaped._" Amelia finished. "_That's what I heard. What does it mean?_"


	4. It's Not a Box It's a Time Machine

_**I know, I know… it must be slightly boring reading something you've already seen, but it's kind of important because it shows the new dynamic between Evie and the Doctor. Comments? :)**_

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><p>"<em>Prisoner Zero has escaped.<em>" Amelia finished. "_That's what I heard. What does it mean?_"

The Doctor and Evie exchanged a look before the Time Lord pressed his ear back against the glass on the wall. Amelia glanced up at Evie, who smiled reassuringly and tightened her grip on the girl. She moved even closer, practically standing on the teenager's toes.

"_It means that on the other side of this wall there's a prison._" He said, straightening up. "_And they've lost a prisoner and d'you know what that means?_"

"_What?_"

"_You need a better wall. The only way to close the breach is to open it all the way._" He announced, moving the chest of drawers out of the way. Evie pulled Amelia backwards out of his path.

"Are you sure?" She demanded. "If this goes wrong…" She shot a meaningful look down at the top of the little girl's head. The Doctor looked at her seriously for a moment before returning his attention to the task at hand. Evie held her breath.

"_The forces will invert and it will snap itself shut._" He said, moving back towards the wall. Evie and Amelia looked at each other; the little girl looked scared but Evie merely looked unsure. "_Or…_"

"_What?_" The females said together.

"_You know when grown-ups tell you everything's going to be fine and you think they're probably lying to make you feel better?_"

"_Yeah._" Amelia said, sounding as though she was talking from experience. Evie couldn't stop herself nodded in agreement.

"_Everything's going to be fine._" The Doctor said, looking at them with wide eyes.

"Fantastic." Evie muttered, pulling Amelia even further back. But the Doctor shook his head, holding out his hand to the girl. She glanced at Evie, before moving forward and taking it. "You better hope this works, spaceman." Evie hissed, using Donna Noble's sarcastic nickname for him as she moved forwards as well, standing on Amelia's other side.

"Have you got your gun?" He asked her in a low voice. Evie pulled it out of the back of the waistband of her jeans. He raised his eyebrows and swallowed, aiming the sonic screwdriver at the crack. "Just checking."

As the sonic made the familiar whirring, Amelia leant round the Doctor to see what was happening. Beside her, Evie's eyes were trained on the crack which was widening and her finger rested comfortingly on the trigger of her laser blaster. The crack was huge when the Doctor stopped using the sonic.

"_Prisoner Zero has escaped._" A metallic voice, almost like a robot, said. The Doctor narrowed his eyes looking confused. As the voice repeated its words, Evie moved forward shielding Amelia even more.

"_Hello?_" The Doctor called into the void. "_Hello?_"

Evie jumped backwards as a huge eye appeared in the gap, moving wildly over them. It settled on the Doctor.

"_What's that?_" Amelia asked, voicing the teenager's own question. The Doctor didn't answer and then, without warning there was a flash and the crack closed.

"_There, see… told you it would close. Good as new._" The Doctor said, sending a triumphant look at Evie. She just shook her head and bent down to check the girl was alright. Amelia was still staring at the wall, not blinking but shaking violently.

"_What's that thing?_" She asked, not moving her gaze from the space in front of them. "_Was that Prisoner Zero?_"

"_No. I think that was Prisoner Zero's guard. Whatever it was it sent me a message._" He told them. "_Psychic paper; takes a lovely little message._" He explained to the girl, showing her. Evie resisted the urge to grab it off him as she waited to hear what it said. He looked at her seriously. "_Prisoner Zero has escaped. But why tell us? Unless…_"

"_Unless what?_"

"_Unless Prisoner Zero escaped through here. But he couldn't have. We'd know._" The Time Lord ran out onto the landing, looking wildly around, the girl and the teenager on his heels. "_It's difficult, brand new me; nothing works yet. But there's something I'm missing._"

"Doctor… get your head together." Evie snapped. "This is important."

"I know, Evie!" He retorted sharply. Then he stopped, moving his head slowly to the right and speaking in a much lower tone. "_In the corner of my eye._"

There was silence as he stood, staring for a moment. Amelia and Evie exchanged a look, wondering what he was seeing. There was nothing there, but the Doctor was definitely watching something.

A deep booming sound, like a huge bell chiming, broke the moment and the Doctor sprinted down the stairs and outside, shouting 'no' over and over again. Evie followed, feeling incredibly uneasy all of a sudden. Something very bad was happening.

"_I've gotta get back in there!_" The Doctor was shouting. "_The engines are fazing… it's gonna burn!_"

He reached the TARDIS first, fiddling with the anchor that had helped them escape, trying to untangle it. Evie was already climbing inside, hanging onto the poles inside the door and wrapping her legs around them to stop herself falling into the swimming pool again.

"_But… it's just a box. How can a box have engines?_" Amelia asked cynically.

"_It's not a box. It's a time machine._" The Doctor told her, almost defensively.

"_A real one?_" Amelia asked. "_You've got a real time machine?_"

"_Not for much longer if I can't get her stabilised. Five minute hop into the future should do it._ Everything alright in there, Evie?"

"Yep. All under control." She shouted, dislodging part of the wall as she did so. The debris fell, creating a loud splash.

"Evie?" The Doctor asked, peering over the edge.

"It's fine… just part of the internal casing falling to the pool… nothing to worry about." She assured him. He grinned and returned to whatever he was doing outside.

"_Can I come?_" Amelia asked.

"_It's not safe in here, not yet. Five minutes; give me five minutes, I'll be right back._" He promised her. Evie rolled her eyes. Great, he was bringing a child with them. Amelia seemed like a sweet kid, but the teenager knew who'd be left looking after her when he got bored of the responsibility.

He jumped up to sit on the edge, grinning down at Evie who just shook her head at him, clinging on tightly.

"_People always say that._" Amelia said sadly. Evie sighed and shot the Doctor a look.

"Don't get her hopes up if you don't mean it." She warned softly. They looked at each other for a moment before he jumped down and went to talk to Amelia.

"_Am I people?_" Evie heard him ask the girl. "_Do I even look like people? Trust me. I'm the Doctor._" He told her. Then he was back and, with a last look he jumped inside. "_Geronimo!_"

He went straight down into the swimming pool, something the teenager had absolutely no intention of doing twice in one night, slamming the front doors behind him. Then the TARDIS was off, shifting and settling itself back into the right places. Evie breathed deeply as the time machine's energy swarmed around her, settling itself.

The teenager found she couldn't hold on and, before she knew what was happening, she was falling. With a splash she re-entered the water in the swimming pool, growling in annoyance. The Doctor, already out and on his feet, laughed at her face and hauled her out, handing her a towel.

"Brilliant. Fantastic. Amazing." She snapped, snatching it off him and starting to rub her hair, trying to dry it as much as possible before it went curly. "Twice in one night? I really hate you."

"No you don't. And you love it; the adrenaline." The Doctor told her, his eyes twinkling mischievously as he ruffled her hair. She fought to keep the smirk from her face, but failed.

"Yeah." She agreed, following him out of the library and along the corridor to the console room. "I do!"


	5. Don't Be Ridiculous Amelia Was Small

The TARDIS finally stopped sparking and bucking and the pair of them managed to get it back under control. It took them a little over the five minutes the Doctor had promised; maybe ten at the most. He typed in the coordinates for Amelia's house and they waited as the time machine materialised.

"_Amelia!_" The Doctor cried, running out of the blue box and into the garden. Evie followed more slowly. Her first thought was that it was daytime. When they'd left it had been about half past eleven at night. Now it was bright and sunny.

The Doctor was already at the house, so the teenager closed the Police Box's door and sprinted after him. As she made her way up the stairs the impossible man was shouting about Prisoner Zero.

"You'll terrify the poor girl." She snapped, reaching his side as he tried to sonic his way through a door.

"Better terrified than dead." He said meaningfully.

"It isn't always an either or, Doctor. Sometimes it is possible to be alive and not terrified." Evie told him before she saw a cricket bat come straight for his head. It connected with a sickening crunch, taking them both out at the same time.

x-x

Evie felt a massive jolt and opened her eyes groggily. She tried to raise her right hand to her head, but something was stopping her. Looking down she saw that she was handcuffed to a radiator. Handcuffed?

"_Do you want to shut up now? I've got back up on the way._" A voice said; a voice with a slight Scottish accent, if Evie wasn't very much mistaken. She glanced up and saw a tall, skinny woman dressed in a police uniform. Except that Evie had never seen a police woman with a skirt that short. She raised her eyebrows.

"_Hang on, no, wait. You're a police woman._" The Doctor said quickly.

"_And you're breaking and entering. You see how this works?_"

"_But what are you doing here, where's Amelia?_" He asked. The woman's eyes widened slightly and an odd expression appeared on her face. Evie looked at her for a moment before the realisation sank in. Her mouth dropped open.

"I think there's been a mistake…" She said quietly, glancing at the Doctor.

"Shh! Not now!" He swatted her away and Evie pulled a frustrated face. He never listened to her, especially when it was important.

"_Amelia Pond?_" The woman asked, looking between them.

"_Yeah. Amelia… little Scottish girl, where is she._"

"Seriously, listen to me, yeah?" Evie said. Once again the Doctor shushed her.

"_I promised her five minutes but the engines were fazing… I suppose I must have gone a bit far. Has something happened to her?_"

"I think we went a lot far, you idiot." Evie told him in a low voice. This time he glanced at her, curiously. "Don't you see… _she's_ Amelia."

"Don't be ridiculous, Jones. Amelia was small."

"_Amelia Pond hasn't lived here in a long time._" The woman told them, staring curiously between them, her gaze fixing on the girl who was staring at her intently.

"_How long?_" The Doctor demanded.

"_Six months._"

"_No, no, no! No! I can't be six months late._" He said, leaning back against the radiator. Evie shook her head, unsure how to make him believe her. "_I said five minutes, I promised._"

"I'm telling you, Doctor. That is her." Evie hissed. The woman had started walking away, but at the teenager's words she stopped.

"You." She knelt down and unlocked the side of the handcuffs which was attaching Evie to the radiator. "Come with me."

The Doctor protested, trying to grab Evie's arm but she pushed him away. The two women walked along the corridor and down the stairs. Safely in the kitchen the 'police woman' removed the handcuffs completely, before crossing her arms over her chest and staring at Evie.

"So, Evie, what happened?" She asked. Evie's face split into a triumphant smirk.

"I knew it was you, Amelia. And you remembered my name! Give us a hug, then!"

"Actually it's Amy now." She said with a slight smile, letting the teenager hug her tightly. "I think it suits me better."

"Nice, I like it." The teenager nodded. "He's telling the truth, you know. For us it's literally only been about fifteen, maybe twenty, minutes."

"How?" Amy asked in disbelief.

Evie sighed. "He's always been rubbish at getting to the right place in the TARDIS. Always." Her voice softened. "I'm really sorry we were so long. The Doctor always keeps his promises if he can."

"I know; you told me." Amy said, causing Evie to stare at her in confusion. She couldn't remember telling the girl that. Before she could ask what the red-head meant, Amy started talking again. "Besides, I guess it's not your fault." She looked at the teenager curiously. "You're exactly the same as you were twelve years ago."

"Twelve years?" Evie exclaimed. "So you're… twenty?" She guessed.

"Nineteen, actually."

"Fantastic, so you're suddenly a year older than me when about half an hour ago you only came up to here." She demonstrated the height Amy had been against her side and the red-head laughed.

"You're only eighteen? You seemed so much older back then. You still do."

"Thanks." Evie said with a small laugh, staring into the distance at something Amy couldn't see. "I think… someone could tell me that I'm actually thirty and I wouldn't bat an eyelid because I never know what the truth about me is anymore. But never mind that now." She focused suddenly with a slight jerk of her head and smiled broadly at the woman. "However much of an idiot that man is, we need him right now. If Prisoner Zero is here than he'll find him."

"Prisoner Zero… that thing from when I was a kid?" Amy asked puzzled. Evie raised her eyebrows, pulling out the laser blaster from her waistband. Luckily being dunked in the swimming pool, twice, hadn't done it any damage. "I remember that!"

"My baby." The teenager told her with a laugh. "And yep, the very same thing."

As they made their way back up the stairs, Evie looked hard at Amy's outfit. It was definitely not regulation police uniform. For one thing the skirt was way too short.

"Amelia Pond," Evie started speaking. In her head Amy was still the seven-year-old she'd been hugging less than an hour ago, "why are you wearing that uniform? You're clearly not a police woman."

"You don't want to know." The older teenager said with a smile, shaking her head as they arrived on the landing and Evie blasted the handcuffs off the Doctor's wrist. He jumped, winced and rubbed at his flesh where the metal had been before turning to look at the two females in confusion.

"What?" He asked raising his eyebrows as the fixed him with identical exasperated expressions.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Comments? Please? I'm not above begging! :S<em>**


	6. The Doctor Always Keeps His Promises

_**Riggghhht. So The Doctor solved the Prisoner Zero problem – with a little help from Evie, so it would have gone a **__**little**__** differently and involved a few more laser blasters! ;)**_

* * *

><p>"I like her." Evie said out of nowhere as she and the Doctor headed back to the TARDIS. "She's got guts."<p>

"True… and she's ginger. I'm very jealous." The Doctor said. Evie rolled her eyes hearing about the same sore point for about the twentieth time. He had an obsession with being ginger. "He's a bit weird, though."

Evie smirked. "You are calling someone else weird? I don't think that's actually allowed, Sweetie." She told him laughing. "Besides, Rory's… sweet. A bit… wimpy, maybe… but sweet. And he has a little red mini. I have always wanted a little red mini."

The Doctor looked at her, his lip curling with a hint of disgust. "Do you fancy him?" He asked.

"What?" Evie snorted, looking completely bemused by his question. "No, of course I don't. Don't be an idiot, spaceman."

"I like it when you call me that." He said, thoughtfully.

"What, idiot?" She joked, knowing exactly what her friend meant.

"No, stupid… spaceman. It reminds me of Donna."

The teenager smiled sadly, putting a hand on the Doctor's arm. "I know. But hey, at least she can remember you now, right?"

"True. Come on, let's get out of here. Haven't you got burning questions we need to answer?"

He put his right arm loosely around her shoulders and she linked her fingers on her right hand through his, which were dangling in mid-air. There was nothing romantic in the gesture; it was purely an instinctive reaction which gave them both confidence and reassurance. Evie had often felt like the Doctor, the old Doctor, saw her more as a daughter-figure. Maybe he'd been trying to use her to fill the space that Jenny had left. But this, new, Doctor acted differently around her; more like an older brother or a best friend. She sighed happily.

"What did Prisoner Zero mean?" Evie asked suddenly, remembering what the creature had said while the four of them had been in the hospital ward with it. "_The universe is cracked. The Pandorica will open; silence will fall._ What's the Pandorica?"

"Just a fairy story, Evie, don't worry about it." He told her, resting his head against hers for a moment.

"A fairy story?" She repeated, giving him a look that the Doctor didn't understand. "Aren't we all?"

"What do you mean?" He asked seriously, looking deep into her eyes. There was a split second where he tried to read the blank look in her eyes, before Evie leant away from him pulling a face.

"What do you mean, what do I mean? I didn't say anything. D'you know something?" She said looking up at him with a smirk on her face. "You've got cocky and weird since you regenerated, and if you're not careful I'll be forced to beat that out of you."

"Will you now?"

"Yep. You know I can." She warned him still smirking. "And your bowtie is silly."

"Now you're asking for it." He grinned, removing his arm from round her shoulders and raising his eyebrows.

Evie laughed and starting running. She headed for Amy's house and the TARDIS which was still parked in the garden. The Doctor was hot on her heels as she skidded to a holt in front of the Police Box. The pair of them stared at it in wonder before the Doctor glanced at her quickly, soon returning his gaze to the box.

"_OK. What have you got for me this time?_" He asked the machine breathily, unlocking the door and throwing it open. Evie gave him a moment, smiling at the intense love the man had for his time machine. She leant her back against the closed door, one palm flat against it as she felt the energy surging through. "_Look at you… oh you sexy thing! Look at you!_"

Evie snorted with laughter at his words and pushed herself away from the door, gently moving the Doctor forward so that she could see inside as well. He'd had enough of a moment with the time machine. He was right though… it was beautiful. She gasped.

The Doctor was at the consoles before she knew it, running his fingers over the new controls. The door shut behind them and they heard the familiar whirring wheezing sound that signalled they were on the move. Feeling as though her broad grin would actually split her face in half, Evie joined her friend at the controls, dancing around each other as they kicked the engines into life. They'd both totally forgotten Amy and Rory for a brief moment.

Not for long, though. Evie suddenly felt a stab of guilt and turned to the Doctor. "What about Amy… we can't just abandon her again."

"Ah…" The Doctor scratched his cheek and then grinned. "I've got an idea." He typed a string of numbers into the brand new, high-tech screen on the console and they materialised again.

"Amelia!" He cried, throwing open the doors. It was morning, but apparently the right one – the morning after they'd first met little Amelia Pond. The Doctor went rushing out of the TARDIS towards the child who was sitting, looking rather cold and fed-up, on a suitcase. Evie leant against the door frame smiling and waving at her. Amelia waved back, before jumping to her feet and throwing her arms around the Doctor.

"You came back!" She pointed out happily.

"Of course I came back. I always come back." He said, glancing at Evie.

"You've got different clothes to last night." The girl said, tilting her head slightly as she took in his appearance.

"Yes, well, saving the world and that, all in a day's work." He said with a grin. Evie rolled her eyes in amusement at the size of his ego. "Now then, Amelia Pond, I have got a very big favour to ask you."

"What?" She glanced past the Doctor to Evie, who was still leaning in the doorway watching.

"I need you to be very patient. You have to wait a while for me. But I… we… will be back for you, I promise." He said seriously. She looked at him for a moment, as though considering his request. Then she nodded. "Good girl."

The Doctor patted her awkwardly on the top of her head before turning and making his way back to the Police Box. Moving aside so he could get past her, Evie walked slowly over to the child, crouching down and looking up into her eyes.

"Trust him, alright? The Doctor always keeps his promises; if he can." She whispered into the girl's ear with a smile. Amelia threw her arms around the teenager hugging her tightly. When Evie managed to break free of her arms, she followed the Doctor into the TARDIS. "See you soon." She called over her shoulder as the doors closed.

"Oh…" The Doctor leapt to the doors and wrenched one open again as the engines whirred into life. "And Amelia, whatever you do, don't become a kiss-a-gram."

As they dematerialised heading back through space and time, but mainly time, Evie sighed and shook her head.

"You've done it now, spaceman." She told him with a grin.

"Done what?"

"You as good as told Amelia to become a kiss-a-gram."

"What… no? I did the complete opposite." He was confused and showed it by pacing round the console room.

"You really don't understand females, do you? You are, for some inexplicable reason, that girl's hero. She is only seven and you've mentioned kiss-a-grams to her. What is her first thought going to be when she's older?"

"Oh…" He said, realisation dawning in his eyes. There was a slight thud as they landed. "Well, it's too late now."

"Are you going to ask her to come with us?" Evie asked quietly. The Doctor looked at her and nodded.

"If you don't mind?"

Evie thought about it. Did she mind? Was the Doctor, this new version, trying to replace her before she'd even gone anywhere? This was probably how all the others had felt; Rose, Martha, Donna. Except it was worse for her, because she was still here; still travelling with the Doctor… still doing what he told her.

Most of the time.

Then she grinned. Why did she have the right to be selfish about the Doctor? "What, another normal, female person in the TARDIS? Are you kidding me? I can't wait!"


	7. Holy Harry Potter!

The Doctor burst out of the TARDIS first, looking around him slightly disorientated. It was dark; obviously he'd got the coordinates a little off again. Evie had warned him to double check, but would he listen to her? Sighing and shaking her head, the teenager walked out behind him and saw Amy emerging from her house wearing a nightdress, a dressing gown and slippers. Evie groaned but the Time Lord didn't appear to notice the red-head's clothes.

"_Sorry for running off earlier._" The Doctor apologised. "_Brand new TARDIS… bit exciting. Just had a quick hop to the moon and back to run her in._" He lied, sending Evie a meaningful glance. Apparently their trip to visit little Amelia was a secret although, surely, Amy would know about it. "_She's ready for the big stuff now._"

"_It's you._" Amy breathed in disbelief. "_You came back?_"

"_Course I came back. I always come back._" He told her quickly. "So does Evie… although that's because she's with me and doesn't really have a choice."

Evie rolled her eyes. "I had a choice and I chose to come back." She assured Amy, making sure the red-head didn't think she hadn't wanted to.

"_Something wrong with that?_" The Doctor asked, slightly bemused.

"_And you kept the clothes._" The time travellers were both mystified by this comment, looking at each other to make sure that neither of them had understood her meaning.

"_Well I just saved the world; the whole planet for about the millionth time. No charge. Yeah, shoot me, I kept the clothes._"

"Don't tempt me, Sweetie." Evie muttered under her breath putting a hand on her laser blaster comfortingly. This new Doctor really was incredibly smug.

"_Including the bowtie._" Amy pointed out. Evie smirked and the Doctor looked defensive.

"_Yeah, it's cool. Bowties are cool._" Neither female looked convinced by his words.

"_Are you from another planet?_" Amy asked pointedly, making Evie snort with laughter. The Doctor shot her a look and she quickly changed her giggles to a cough.

"_Yeah._" He said quickly, still frowning at her.

"_OK…_"

"_So what do you think?_"

"_What?_"

"_Other planets; want to check some out?_" He asked.

"_What does that mean?_" Amy asked suspiciously, glancing between the two strangers in front of her. They had dropped out of the sky into her garden in a blue police box more than once and she had no idea who they were. They talked in riddles most of the time; saying things she couldn't understand. And the girl… it was almost as though most people looked straight through her. Even Rory hadn't noticed her presence for a while.

"_It means… well… it means come with me._" He said hopefully. Evie coughed, reminding them that she was still there. "Come with us."

"_Where?_"

"_Wherever you like._" He told her. The teenager bit her tongue. She didn't think pointing out that, to date, he hadn't had much success with that destination was the best idea at the moment. Amy looked freaked out enough.

"_All that stuff that happened… the hospital, the spaceships… Prisoner Zero…_"

"_Oh, don't worry that's just the beginning; there's loads more._" The Time Lord assured her. Amy glanced at Evie who just raised her eyebrows and smirked.

"_Yeah… but those things. Those amazing things. All that stuff…_" Her expression changed and she stepped towards the Doctor angrily. "_That was two years ago!_"

Evie couldn't help herself snorting with laughter again at those words, Amy rounded on her and the teenager held up her hands by way of an apology. The Doctor looked at her, begging for help in talking his way out of this one, but Evie just smirked and shook her head, folding her arms across her chest.

"_Ohhh… oops._" He said.

"_Yeah._"

"_So that's…_"

"_Fourteen years!_"

"_Fourteen years since fish custard._" The Doctor clarified. To her it had only been… a day?... and Evie felt her stomach churning over at the thought of the disgusting meal he had eaten. "_Amy Pond… the girl who waited… you've waited long enough._"

"_When I was a kid you said there was a swimming pool and a library. And the swimming pool was in the library._"

"_Yeah… not sure where it's got to now, it'll turn up._" He said glancing at Evie. She shrugged, not knowing where it was at the moment either. "_So, coming?_"

"_No._"

"_You wanted to come fourteen years ago._"

"_I grew up._" Amy told him.

"He didn't." Evie said. The Doctor glared at her.

"You… shut up." He told Evie, the ghost of a smirk on his lips. She grinned and winked. "_Don't worry. I'll soon fix that._"

With a click of his fingers, the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors. Evie moved aside, letting Amy see inside properly. The woman was staring, her mouth open and her eyes wide as she tried to understand what she was seeing. Laughing nervously, she went inside. The Doctor looked at Evie, raising his eyebrows. The teenager smirked back and followed Amy into the box with the Time Lord just behind her.

Evie remembered exactly how Amy had felt – she'd been just as awestruck when she'd walked into the time machine for the first time. Understanding that she wasn't needed at the moment, the teenager slipped over to the console, checking the scanner and setting up extensive searches to locate the missing swimming pool. She did, however, keep sneaking glances at the pair as she worked, listening in to their conversation.

"_Well?_" The Doctor asked Amy. "_Anything you wanna say? Any passing remarks? I've heard them all._ Evie's was good… what was it? Oh yes, 'you're asleep, Evie, that's all' closely followed by something that sounded remarkably like holy Harry Potter."

"Haha." She said sarcastically, looking over from the scanner. "You're so funny. I've never said the words 'holy Harry Potter' in my life."

"You just said them then." He argued grinning inanely at her.

"Damn…" She muttered, annoyed that he'd tricked her. Then she smirked. "But am I actually alive?"

The Doctor stopped, thinking hard, one finger pointing at her as he did so. "Fair point. I'm not sure." He agreed. "But… for the purposes of timey wimey, etc., you are very much alive. So therefore, ergo and the rest, you said it."

"You're impossible, spaceman." The teenager laughed, returning her attention back to the scanner and tapping in more codes.

"You know it, cupcake." He replied. Evie's eyebrows almost shot off the top of her head she raised them so high.

"Cupcake?"

"Yeah… I'm trying out new nicknames for you seeing as you don't like the standard 'Jones'. But that one didn't sound right." He agreed, shaking his head. Evie sighed and smiled faintly. She went to work as the Doctor returned to his conversation, which sounded more like an argument to the teenager, with Amy. She barely registered what they were saying as she tried to locate the pool. It would be just her luck if it had relocated to her bedroom.

"_Ooh! A new one._" The Doctor said excitedly, pulling something from the console. "_Thanks, dear._"

Evie glanced up and saw him playing with a new sonic screwdriver for a moment, before moving to the typewriter on the controls and typing in coordinates. Amy moved to her side and Evie shot her a fleeting smile before she moved away and began raising levers and pressing buttons. The console was new, but it was still the same old TARDIS.

Amy pulled a lever out and gasped as it made a strange sound. At her side in a split second, Evie just grinned and pushed it back in, twisting a dial beside it. Then she was away again, carrying on with what she had been doing before.

"_Why me?_" Amy asked, echoing the question that Evie had asked the Doctor all those months ago. The teenager glanced up, wondering whether the red-head would get a more useful answer than she had.

"_Why not?_" Nope, apparently she wasn't getting any more information than Evie had.

"_No, seriously, you're asking me to run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question? Why me?_"

"_Dunno. You're fun… do I have to have a reason?_"

"_People always have a reason._"

"_Do I look like people?_"

"_Yes._" Amy said as Evie shook her head slightly in answer to the question. Normal people didn't wear bowties; not anymore.

"Don't even bother." The teenager called from her position at the console. "He never gives reasons. Not ones that make any sense, anyway."

"_OK._" Amy said simply, staring the Time Lord out. Then she walked away, leaving him staring at a monitor beside his head. He glanced at it and then switched it off, something that Evie found odd. As he walked over to the red-head, the teenager moved to his recently vacated spot and turned the monitor back on.

Fluctuating waves were moving on the screen and an odd crackling noise was being emitted – almost as though the waves were picking up speech. Evie narrowed her eyes, staring at the monitor.

"Evie Jones." A voice said. The waves mirrored the sound perfectly and the teenager almost screamed. She glanced over to where the Doctor and Amy were talking, before retuning her attention to the monitor. "Evie Jones… it's almost time for you to find out."

"Find out what?" She whispered urgently, her eyes fixed on the waves fluctuating on the screen.

"It's almost time."

"Evie!" The Doctor shouted. "Turn that off."

She spun round to face him, her hands on her hips. "Why, what does it mean?"

"Nothing… it just affects the directional positioning." He said with a shrug. Then he moved to the controls, Amy at his side. "_Goodbye, Leadworth! Hello… everything!_"

He pulled the engines into life and the three of them held on tightly. Perhaps for the first time ever the sound of the TARDIS didn't fill Evie with a rush of excitement and anticipation. If anything she felt empty.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Uh-Oh! The weirdness for Evie is starting! o_O<strong>_

_**Comments? Please?**_


	8. Sorry, Bad Choice of Words

"Evie! Chuck us that thingamy." The Doctor shouted to her. Knowing exactly what he meant, the teenager picked up a small cube of metal with wires jutting off at odd angles, launching it straight at his head. "Oi!"

He looked shocked by the anger behind her throw, but Evie just looked away, still trying to locate the swimming pool with the scanner. She was not going to risk falling in it again. The words she, but apparently neither of the others, had heard were echoing in her mind. 'It's almost time for you to find out.' What did that mean? What was she going to find out? And who had spoken?

"Is this because I've got a new friend?" The Doctor asked, misreading her hostility. "Because I still love my old friend as well, Buttercup."

"Seriously, stop with the nicknames now." She snapped, whirling around. "And no, this isn't about Amy." She knelt on the ground, fiddling with a couple of trailing wires from the console, trying to get them back inside the casing. Her hands were shaking so much that she was having trouble with the simple task.

"Then what's the matter, Peach?" He asked gently, crouching down beside her and lifting her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. "Something's wrong…"

"For the last time, my name is Evie. Not Peach, not Buttercup, not Angel Fish, not Petal, not Cupcake and not…" She struggled with her memory, squeezing her eyes closed to remember what else he had tried out. "I'm sure there are more."

"Still having trouble with your memory?" He asked, raising his eyebrow and putting a hand on either side of her face.

"Maybe…" She muttered, turning her head slightly to try and avoid his gaze. The Doctor pulled her back so that he was looking deep into her eyes. She shuddered slightly, feeling as though he was reaching into her mind. Then he let go and jumped to his feet.

"You'll live." He said, making Evie snort cynically. "Sorry, bad choice of words. What I meant to say is that you'll be fine."

"Thanks. That makes me feel a whole lot better." She murmured as the Doctor bounced off to see where Amy had gone. Maybe it was jealousy that was making her feel like this, she decided. Maybe she was jealous of the older girl who'd swooped in and taken over her Doctor. So why was every instinct in her body screaming at her that something was definitely very wrong?

"How would you like to float among the stars, Amy Pond?" The Doctor asked as Evie passed him. Amy squealed with delight as the Doctor opened the TARDIS doors. Whole galaxies were spread out in front of them; constellations and planets and single stars, all begging to be noticed.

"I know how they feel." Evie muttered in response to her own thoughts. The Doctor glanced at her, unsure whether she'd spoken but, as the teenager didn't say anything after catching his eye he returned his attention to the skies.

Escaping to the privacy of her bedroom, Evie pulled out her diary, flicking through all the adventures they'd had. There was a common theme running through them; it had just been her and the Doctor. OK, so there had occasionally been someone else along for the ride, but once it was over the pair of them had returned to the little blue box and disappeared through space and time.

Now things were different. There were three of them here. Evie wasn't completely sure how the regeneration thing worked. The Doctor had changed his personality, maybe this Doctor was Amy's Doctor. The last one had been Rose's Doctor and Martha's Doctor and Donna's Doctor as well as hers. Maybe she was naïve, but Evie had believed that all the Doctors to come would be her Doctor. When all his other companions had gone back to their own lives eventually, she had been going to stay; she didn't exactly have anywhere else to go.

"Hey." A soft voice said in the doorway. Evie glanced up and say Amy leaning against the doorframe watching her. Self-consciously, the teenager pushed her diary out of view. Although the red-head had already seen it, hiding it away made the younger girl feel better.

"Hi."

"Listen… the Doctor asked me to check you were alright." She said awkwardly. Evie chewed her lip and nodded, a falsely bright smile plastered on her face.

"Course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

Amy looked pained for a moment. "Maybe because I'm here?"

"What d'you mean?" The teenager asked, feigning ignorance of the meaning behind the woman's words.

"I mean, that you don't want me here on the TARDIS. That you think I've come along and ruined everything?"

Evie took a deep breath. "No. I don't think that at all." She said honestly. Then she looked at Amy curiously. "What's the Doctor told you about me? About who I am?"

"Nothing." Amy told her, shaking her head.

The teenager smiled sadly. "Well, you know almost as much as me, then."

"What d'you mean?" This time Amy was echoing Evie's words.

"I don't know!" The teenager told her with a small laugh. "I met the Doctor a week after my eighteenth birthday. We travelled for a bit. Then he offered to take me home but when we got there… well, let's just say that there was undeniable evidence that I was dead. And yet here I am, as alive as you."

"What do you mean 'undeniable evidence'?"

"My body; washed up on a river bank not far from my home. The Doctor and I talked about it a few times, about what it might mean, but he doesn't have any answers. I thought maybe it was my future self, but I looked the same as I did back then, the same as I do now. The TARDIS put up this defence mechanism thing meaning that I can't be seen by humans between August 15th 1991 and August 16th 2091 – a hundred years of invisibility. Unless, of course, the humans in question have been subject to TARDIS energy before they meet me."

"But…" Amy narrowed her eyes, thinking hard. "I saw you… when I was seven."

"Exactly." Evie nodded at her. "You hadn't been subjected to TARDIS energy. So how could you see and hear me, Amy Pond? But do you want to know what I think?" Amy nodded fervently, staring at her wide eyed. "I think it has something to do with that crack in your bedroom wall."


	9. Let's Go Exploring!

"Right… girls." The Doctor said typing away at the keyboard on the console. "Where do we fancy heading?" Evie was still feeling a little uneasy, so she just shrugged and shook her head. He gave her an odd look, but didn't comment. "Right…"

Evie turned around as Amy and the Doctor started deciding on their destination. Once again the teenager's emotions had done a U-turn and she no longer felt threatened by the increasing closeness of the other two on board the TARDIS. Instead of joining in their chatter, she headed towards the corridor, planning on getting a drink from the kitchen.

Blocking her way, standing in the corridor in front of her, was a creature. It was taller than her and had a bald, egg-shaped head and tentacles. In its hand was an orb. She gasped, feeling the tiny hairs all over her arms standing on end. Thanks to Donna Noble's memories Evie knew exactly what the creature was. But how had an Ood got into the TARDIS and why?

The orb clutched in the Ood's hand lit up, shining brightly as it spoke. "Evie Jones. It is almost time for you to find out."

"For me to find out what?" She breathed deeply, annoyed that once again the warning – or threat – seemed to be coming as a riddle and taking a shaky step towards the creature. "Tell me, I need to know."

"It is almost time." It repeated, the light clicking on in the orb once more.

"Almost time?" She demanded. "What do you mean?"

"It is almost time, Evie Jones. Keep your eyes on the cracks."

Turning for a split second to glance over her shoulder and see whether either of the people in the console room was watching, Evie stepped towards the Ood. But it had vanished. She let out a stifled scream of confusion. Whirling around, she saw the Doctor and Amy peering round the door at her.

"Evie?" The Doctor called, seeing her panic stricken face. But it was Amy who moved towards Evie, putting her arms around her and holding her tightly. The teenager clung on, as though she was holding on for dear life. She didn't understand what was going on. For all the amazing knowledge that was buzzing around inside her mind, Evie was totally clueless.

x-x

The doors opened and the three of them looked outside. Evie had calmed down and was almost back to her old self. She was the first to leap out of the TARDIS onto the planet's surface below. It was, however, further down than she'd expected and the teenager tumbled to the ground. Although it was only about three feet, it took Evie by surprise and she sat on the floor for a couple of minutes, recovering, as the Doctor threw back his head and laughed. Amy looked concerned until she saw the girl jump to her feet, dust herself off and stand with her hands on her hips glaring at them through narrowed eyes.

"Come on then, spaceman." She snapped, raising an eyebrow. "Come down here and laugh if you dare."

He jumped down, landing much more elegantly than she had and managing to stay on his feet. No sooner had he made contact with the ground than she launched herself at him, chasing him in a loop of the ground around them. Amy grinned, watching the scene in front of her. The girl was sprinting after the man who was ducking and twisting out of her reach, still laughing. Jumping on his back, Evie started giggling as he collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"I'm glad my Evie is back." He whispered, meeting her eyes. She smiled and rolled off him as he climbed back to his feet. "Now, Pond, do me a favour and flick the big yellow switch on the console."

Amy looked confused, but disappeared inside and did as she was told. Gently the TARDIS lowered, landing on the ground and the young woman walked out casually. The Doctor grinned and went to lock the door. Then he turned on his heels, clapping his hands and beaming.

"Let's go exploring!"

The trio headed off across the dusty surface of Philosius VI. Amy Pond was full of questions and Evie smiled at the Doctor's exasperation as he tried to answer some and deflect others. He seemed to know exactly where they were heading; although Evie knew that he hadn't even intended to bring them here. He'd looked at the readings on the scanner with total confusion as they'd landed.

The Doctor walked purposefully. He hardly seemed to notice the patterns on the ground; diamonds in various colours sparkling in the light cast from the sun hovering not too far above them. It didn't seem to be as powerful as the sun that lit the Earth, as the temperature was about average, but the sun was far closer to them.

Buildings had started to appear through the light mist that engulfed them. Strange, tall, metal buildings that looked like lots of houses of different styles piled on top of each other. Amy stared up, open mouthed as they passed, but Evie kept her eyes on the Doctor who was striding along not moving his gaze from straight ahead of him. That meant that he was looking for something specific; something important.

"What is it?" She asked him seriously.

"I don't know… but something brought the TARDIS here."

"What do you mean something brought it here? I knew something was wrong." The Doctor shot her a slightly guilty look. "Brilliant."

"Have you noticed something?" Amy asked, jogging to catch up with them.

"Lots of things." The Doctor confirmed quickly. "But I'm assuming you're referring to something specific."

"There's no one here."

Evie glanced around and saw that she was right. There was a park to their left, remarkably like the ones she'd often visited on Earth. But there were no children in sight. The shops and streets and gardens were also deserted.

"Where is everyone?" She breathed.

"That's what we're going to discover." The Doctor said grinning excitedly. "Come on girlies."

Amy and Evie exchanged a cynical look at his words, but they followed him nevertheless. The Time Lord pulled out his sonic screwdriver and starting scanning. He didn't seem to be scanning anything in particular just waving the device wildly around in the air. He left it pointing towards a building that didn't seem to fit in with those around it; it was too straight, too perfect.

"Ah!" He set off at a run, Evie at his heels. She was used to the way he worked by now. Amy was slightly taken aback and hesitated just long enough for them to be slamming through the glass doors of the building before she started running.

Inside, the Doctor was still scanning with his screwdriver and Evie was tapping quickly at a keyboard attached to a huge, computer system with a large screen that was mounted on the wall opposite. Numbers were flashing and changing on the screen as she typed. Amy's mouth dropped open as she realised that the numbers corresponded to the movements of the teenager's fingers.

"How are you typing that fast?" She asked amazed.

"I knew a super-temp. She was the best temp in Chiswick… she taught me everything I know." Evie told her with a wink.

"Evie… Pond…" The Doctor shouted from near the lift. "We need to go –"

"Up!" Evie finished his sentence for him, hitting the enter button on the keyboard as she spoke.

"You've got it." He agreed with a grin.


	10. Never Lower Your Gun, Ever

The trio hurled themselves into the lift, the Doctor soniced it, sending them up quicker. Evie examined her nails as they waited, while Amy clung on for dear life. The younger female couldn't help a slight smirk appearing on her lips as they left the metal box and walked across the marble floor of the reception area.

"You'll get used to it." She said. There was an almost undetectable trace of venom in her voice, which Evie hadn't even intended to place there. She'd meant her words to be a reassurance to the red-head, but it had come out all tangled. Amy stared at her, puzzled by her sudden coldness.

Rather than dwelling on her unintentional tone, Evie pulled the laser blaster out of her waistband and checked the power. Sighing, the Doctor raised his eyebrows at her and the teenager shrugged.

"I thought you were cool with it now. I mean, you even checked I had it back at Amy's house." She said raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I want you to use it at every opportunity." He told her.

"I don't!" Evie protested. "I mean, it's not as though I shoot first and ask questions afterwards. Well, not most of the time anyway."

"Fine… just don't use it unless it's a matter of life and death." He ordered. Seeing the expression on her face he held up his hands. "Sorry, sorry… it's just an expression. You know what I mean."

The Doctor moved away to the left, checking the different doors that led off the reception area. After a moment's hesitation, Amy followed him. Evie looked around her, biting her lip. She could sense that something was going on, but she couldn't work out where. Following her instincts, Evie headed to the right, walking all the way to the end of the corridor and pushing open the office door in front of her.

A woman, dressed in a white shirt and tight black trousers, had her back to the teenager at the door and was riffling through a filing cabinet in the corner. Evie raised her laser blaster, aiming it directly at the woman's head. As though she'd heard the movement, or perhaps just sensed it, the woman turned a look of surprise on her face. Evie gasped, but she didn't know why. Opposite her the woman's face changed, now it displayed a mask of horror.

"Who are you?" The teenager demanded keeping her gun trained on the woman carefully. She tilted her head, trying to understand why her first reaction on seeing her had been to gasp. Evie was also trying to understand why she now had to fight to keep aiming the gun at her. Somewhere in the back of her mind there was a spark of recognition but she couldn't place her at all.

"You're not supposed to be here." The woman said, ignoring the question. She didn't seem fazed by the gun pointed at her either. "You really shouldn't be here. Not… not yet."

"What do you mean?" Evie asked lowering her gun. She was breathing deeply, tears forming in her eyes without her even noticing. They were blurring her vision, but there was nothing she could do about it. Suddenly a massive pain erupted in her head, spreading through her like a fire. She squeezed her eyes closed, dropping her weapon as she brought her hands up to her temples. A red beam exploded from the end of the blaster as it hit the floor, taking out a chair in a blaze of sparks and smoke. The teenager fell, almost in slow motion, curling into a ball on the ground.

"What is it? What's wrong?" The woman demanded leaping deftly over the laser beam with almost no effort and dropping to the floor beside the teenager, taking her head gently in her hands and laying it on her lap. She stroked Evie's hair, gently. Her tone became much quieter, almost as though she was pleading. "Please don't tell me it's your head?"

Their eyes met for a brief moment and a look of intense confusion appeared on the woman's face. She stared at Evie, taking several deep, settling breaths that caused her entire body to shudder. The confusion was replaced by something else; hope. The teenager felt a strange sensation, but the intense pain in her head was easing slowly and she was feeling much more like herself.

"Sorry to disappoint you," the teenager said, almost smirking, "but it _is_ my head." She sat up, moving away from the woman, feeling incredibly disconcerted by her.

The woman looked even more worried by that news, if it was possible. Her eyes raked over Evie's face then she took a deep breath, deciding that she was alright again and helped her to her feet. Then she picked up the laser gun and handed it to her.

"You have to get back to the TARDIS. There isn't time to let the Doctor work it out for himself; tell him CAL. It's happened before… check the data core. He'll understand." She moved away from the teenager, flipping open the device on her wrist and tapping at it. "And one more thing, Evie; never lower your gun. Ever."

In a burst of light the woman vanished, leaving Evie staring astonished at empty space. She was completely overwhelmed. The teenager thought she should know who the woman was, but she couldn't work out how. The woman had clearly known all about her… and the Doctor. But how? How had she known her name?

Turning on her heels she sprinted back towards the reception area, looking wildly for the Time Lord. He was calmly scanning a panel and looked up, slightly amused as her footsteps reached him. His face fell as he instantly realised that something was wrong, but she swatted his hands away as she tried to recover her breath.

"Get off me!" She gasped. "CAL; the woman said CAL and to check the data core. She said you'd know what it meant."

"Woman? What woman?" He demanded.

Evie shook her head. "I-I don't know! She was just there and then… she went. She used a Vortex Manipulator I think."

"What did she look like?" He took hold of her upper arms, crouching slightly so that he could look into her eyes.

Evie sighed, not understanding why it was important. "Curly hair, beautiful... Does it really matter? What does CAL and the data core mean?"

"That's impossible… How could she…"

"Doctor!" Evie exclaimed, not caring whether it was impossible or not. She just wanted to get out of here after the woman's words. She didn't know why, but she found herself believing her.

"Oh… right." The Doctor looked distracted, before setting off at a run back towards the panel he'd been examining. "Do something useful with that gun of yours for once, shoot here… that exact spot." He ordered, pointing. Rolling her eyes and raising the gun half-heartedly she pointed and fired off a beam, not even concentrating on what she was doing. "Well put some effort into it."

"Sorry, _dad_." She said sarcastically, rolling her eyes at his patronising tone. "Do you need me to shoot again?"

"No… you've hit it." He said grudgingly. She raised her eyebrows and sighed, turning to look along the corridor to the room the woman had been in. "Are you listening to me, Evie?"

She jumped, his voice bringing her back to reality. "Yeah, sorry. What d'you need?"

He shouted out a list of instructions to the females and they followed them without questioning him, Evie helping Amy as much as she could; trying to make up for her earlier words. When they'd done as he asked they stood back, watching as he put the finishing touches to his creation.

"Just need to reverse the system and…" He jumped backwards connecting two plugs and laughing as they bucked and sparked against each other. There was a blinding flash of light and the three of them covered their eyes. When they looked, there were people all around them. "All in a day's work." He said grinning.

"Can we get out of here now?" Evie asked shivering. "This place gives me the creeps."

With a final glance along the corridor, the teenager replaced her gun in the waistband of her jeans and followed her companions to the lift.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Was the woman who I think she was? But how is that possible? <strong>_

_**Gotta admit… I wasn't entirely sure what was going to happen when I wrote this… I don't even really remember writing some parts of it! I guess it just wrote itself! :P**_


	11. Bananas Give Me Headaches

Back on the TARDIS, Amy was dancing around excitedly, adrenaline still pumping through her veins after their little adventure. Both the Doctor and Evie were more subdued, lost in their own thoughts. The pair were almost on autopilot as they moved around the console, flying the TARDIS without even thinking.

After a while, feeling suddenly guilty, Evie approached Amy. The red-head had left the console room and was sitting at the kitchen table eating a yoghurt. Remembering the last time she'd seen Amy with a yoghurt in her hand the teenager smiled.

"Listen," She said taking a deep breath and pulling herself up onto the counter in front of Amy, "I'm really sorry about earlier. The whole you'll get used to it, comment. I didn't mean anything by it… sometimes I say things without realising I'm even going to."

"Really?" She asked, resting her elbows on the table and her chin on her hands. "Like… you're not actually speaking?"

"That's exactly it!" Evie said, excited that Amy seemed to understand. "And then there was the Ood."

"Ood?"

"Oh… sorry. It's like this creature with tentacles… they're peaceful; born with their brains in their hands." She saw the slightly revolted look on Amy's face and smiled. "Yeah… bit creepy. But it was here… in the TARDIS. You know when you found me in the corridor? It told me that it was almost time; almost time for me to find out."

"Find out what?" The red-head's eyes were wide and she was staring unblinking at her new friend. Evie shrugged.

"I don't know. But it also mentioned the cracks. It told me to watch them. No! It told me to keep my eye on them."

"Is there a difference?"

"I-I don't know. It just seemed important when I was saying it, the wording."

"Maybe you should tell the Doctor?"

Evie shook her head. "No. I don't think he's fully recovered from the regeneration yet. Either that or he's really changed."

"What was he like? Before?"

Evie smiled, remembering. Her eyes glazed over for a second or two. "He was… less crazy. And he was far less angry and shouty. But he was more protective of me, maybe it was because he was more serious, more emotional, I don't know. Or maybe it was because it was just me and him – not that I'm saying he's different because you're here. I really don't know."

There was a pause and then Amy spoke again. "What about that woman you said you saw back there? Who was she? What happened?"

"What is this, the Spanish inquisition?" Evie snapped suddenly, reluctant to talk about the woman.

"No…" Amy jumped, looking wary. "Sorry… I just thought… maybe you'd want to talk?"

"Sorry, it's that thing again. I didn't mean…" She bit her lip, tears in her eyes. Sighing deeply she shook her head. "I don't know who she is. I feel like I should. I mean, she knew my name, she knew about the Doctor and the TARDIS. She even said that it was too soon for me to be there."

"What else can you remember? Maybe remembering will help you figure things out?"

"Maybe… well… she was beautiful, really beautiful and she had browny-blonde curly hair. And she told me never to lower my gun. And then she left."

Both of them glanced around, jumping as they saw the man in the doorway. The Doctor smiled at them, raising a hand awkwardly in a sort of half wave. He moved into the room, twisting his hands around each other and trying not to make eye contact.

"I couldn't help overhearing," he said, glancing briefly at Evie, "but I did."

"Oh… couldn't help it, hey, spaceman? Really though?" She asked sarcastically.

"Well… that's not strictly true." She continued to stare at him until he sighed. "Fine, I turned on the speaker system, but I had a perfectly good reason."

"And what was that?" Evie demanded, feeling that her privacy had been violated.

"I wanted to know what you were talking about."

"Doctor!" Amy reprimanded him. "That's not a good reason!"

"Yes, well… I'd never have heard all that otherwise, would I? You'd never have told me, Evie. You said so yourself."

"Is it any wonder?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at him. By now she'd slid off the counter and was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at the Time Lord.

"OK, no." He admitted, smiling awkwardly. "But think, Evie. Was there anything else that happened when you saw the woman? Did she say anything?"

"No." Evie told him. "Why did you say it was impossible?"

"There was a library… CAL… but she died. Can't be her…"

"Her? Who?" The teenager asked eagerly.

"Doesn't matter… are you sure nothing happened in that room?" He pressed, staring at her intensely.

Evie wanted to punch him in the face, but she managed to control her temper, breathing deeply. "Well… I got this sort of headache. It was so bad that I dropped my gun and fell over. She practically jumped across the room to help me. When she looked in my eyes… it was like… I don't… I can't… Doctor! Help!"

Evie's head felt like it was about to explode again. White hot pain was shooting through her, almost making her body jerk and spasm. The Doctor scooped her up and ran towards the console room with Amy close on his heels. He laid her on the floor setting up the scanner and rushing around like a demented bee.

Amy knelt beside her, holding her hand tightly. Evie was screaming but no sound was being emitted from her mouth. Her eyes suddenly snapped open and it was Amy's turn to scream. Evie's eyes had changed colour, from a light greeny-blue to golden. The Doctor dropped to his knees, staring into her eyes in astonishment. He scanned them with the sonic screwdriver, checking the reading and letting his mouth fall open.

"How…?"

The teenager opened her mouth and a stream of golden particles floated out. For a second they hung in the air, swirling above her and then, as quickly as they appeared they vanished. Evie blinked several times before narrowing her eyes and sitting up.

"Why am I on the floor?" She demanded. "And why are you both looking at me like that?"

"You… I dunno. Fainted, I guess?" Amy said, trying to work out if the teenager was joking. "You were telling the Doctor about that woman from earlier and your headache and then…"

Evie was looking at her as if she'd gone mad. "What woman? What headache, for that matter? I never get headaches, unless I eat bananas. Bananas give me headaches." She leapt to her feet and moved around the console, checking the monitor with a frown. "Why were you scanning me?"

Amy and the Doctor glanced at each other warily. Evie wasn't acting like Evie. She was jumpy and hyper, almost manic; not at all like her usual calm and casual self. They moved towards her slowly, not understanding much of what was happening at all.

"Hmm… according to these readings I'm dying. It's probably just timey-wimey things messing up the scanner again." Evie said with a broad grin. "Because that can't be true can it? I mean we all know I'm already dead, aren't I?" She turned to the Doctor, with tears in her eyes. Her voice wobbled as she spoke, trying to contain her tears. "I'm not dying, am I?" She raised her right hand and wiped the moisture away from the opposite eye with the heel of her palm. "Please don't let me die."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Dot, dot, dot. o_O Cliff hanger much? Haha! I'm mean!<strong>_

_**You'll just have to wait and see what happens next ;)**_

_**Spoiler time!**_

_The Doctor covered his mouth with one hand, looking at her. He realised in that moment that he had never actually seen the teenager cry before. When she'd first found and read the headline and seen that she was 'dead' she'd been angry; so angry, inexplicably angry. Since then, whenever she got upset she just closed down or avoided the subject. _

_He had never seen a single tear fall from her eyes. Yes, he'd seen evidence that she had been crying – tearstained cheeks, red eyes, etc., but he'd never actually seen her cry before. And now he realised that that scared him. Especially now that she __was__ crying. Grabbing her tightly by the arms, he forced her to look at him, promising things with his eyes that he couldn't say out loud._

_**The last part of Evie's story, 'Holding On', is coming soon! You know what you have to do first though ;)**_


End file.
